Unnamed Touhou Fanfic
by Knell13
Summary: A mysterious priest has appeared by Misty lake, he seems to be after Yuuka, his goal? Well, you'll just have to read and find out.
1. Chapter 1

-1645: Japan-

A flash of light expanded across the sky, the earth seemed to shake with anger as the light intensified, and then, mere seconds later…everything came to an eerie silence.

"Did we get him?" A voice asked.

"It seems so, the threat is no more." Another voice responded

"We can't let that Youkai take the credit...no one can know that the earth's savior was one of those wretched monsters." The first voice said, referring to the battle they had just seen.

"I agree that the battle we witnessed never happened…" The second one agreed.

"Shall we continue on? There is still much to do." The second voice asked.

"Yes, let us move on. " The First one replied.

-Present day: Gensokyo-

"What did you say your name was again?" A girl's voice spoke, it seemed young, but also had some maturity behind it.

A man with unruly long gray hair and an unshaven face looked up at her from the log he sat on with sullen green eyes. "Zennosuke." He responded in a gruff tone. "You should really learn to listen more intently, missy."

"There's no need to be so rude, well, I guess, I should welcome you to Misty lake. My name is Daiyousei, nice to meet you." She did a slight bow.

"Skip the formalities, fairy. I know where we are, what I need is information on a certain woman." The grizzled traveler took a swig of beer, before setting the keg down on the ground beside him, he wore a tattered black and red kimono, and had what seemed like thousand year old sandals on, a scar ran from his chin to what seemed his upper right shoulder. It was no mistaking it; this old man had seen battle. What was striking though, was what he wore around his neck, a cross, and a bible could clearly be seen sitting on his lap, was he a priest? A priest normally wouldn't be odd, but in Gensokyo, where Christianity has little influence, it was certainly a sight for sore eyes.

His words intimidated Daiyousei, there was something about him, something that seemed dangerous. "Okay, so who is this woman?"

"They call her… Yuuka Kazami. Does the name ring a bell?" He asked as he saw the fairy back away in fright. "So you do know her, if so, any idea where I can find her?"

"Why would you want to find Yuuka? She'd tear someone like you to shreds..she's not very fond of intruders…or visitors for that matter."

"Such a reputation doesn't scare me, I've found people who've known her all day, but not a single one has given me her location, perhaps you'll be different."

"F-Fine I'll tell you, but I don't want to be responsible for your death."

"That's a good fairy." He said after he learned the location, and headed toward it. "Hah, fairies, always the easiest to push around, they're fodder to even humans." He said under his breath as he left the area around the lake, his target Yuuka Kazami. "Today, I shall take the head of the strongest Youkai."

"What was that about Yuuka being your target?" A voice spoke up from behind him. "You must really have a death wish, ze."

"Heh, people really do hold her in high regard, but is she really as bad as they say she is? A monster of unparalleled proportions? The humans in the village seem to think so." The priest said as he stopped in his tracks, but didn't turn around.

"I wouldn't call her monster, but due to her …uhh personality, she has unwillingly gained that reputation, honestly she's quite nice if you're on her good side."

"That so? Interesting. Now I'm really excited to meet this Youkai, perhaps she'll be able to provide exactly what I need."

"You said before you were going to kill her, but the tone of your voice suggests otherwise, what exactly are you after?, ze."

"A mere witch shouldn't be meddling in my affairs, unless, you wish to assist me?" The man asked as he turned his head to face her, the bangs of his gray hair falling across his face.

"Why would I want to assist you? You're way too shady of a person; I can't even guess what your motives are, yet alone what you're after."

"It's simple." He smirked slightly. "I intend to unleash a certain..youkai, however in order to do so, I need a sacrifice, someone powerful enough to..satisfy his needs."

"W-Wait, don't tell me, you're a fallen priest!?"

The man turned around fully then, the smirk widening into a creepy smile. "Of course I am! What else could you expect!? There's no room for Christianity in this god forsaken world! That is why I shall unleash the devil himself, a Youkai so feared, that this very dimension will tremble as he awakes! "

"You're mad, ze! If you think I'll just stand here and let you do that, you're sadly mistaken, let's rumble!"

The smile vanished as he looked at the witch in front of him. "So you wish to stop me? So be it. Show me what you can do, blondy!"

The two stood staring at eachother, unsure of what the other could do combat wise. The tension in the air was thick, but neither made a move and after a few long moments, it was the witch, known as Marisa Kirisame, who attacked first.

"Take this!" She held out her hand, which held a peculiar item in it. "Love Sign: Master Spark!" A gigantic blast of golden energy exploded forth toward the fallen priest, covering the distance between them in no time flat.

"So." The gray haired man smirked. "This is where I die." He stood his ground, his hands in his pockets. "Even if you're more powerful, don't think I'll just die without fighting back!" He shouted as he ran forward, head first into the blast, and at the last moment, that smirk turned into a smile. "Just kidding…" He extended his right hand forward and suddenly the master spark was no more. He stood right in front of Marisa now, looking down at her due to their difference in height. "Despair Sign: Absolute Zero." He spoke softly before his right fist impacted her face and sent her flying backwards so that she crashed into a tree. "Do you understand now, you and I, are on different levels of power, there's no way you can…" He stopped short as another golden blast was closing in on him. "Again!?" He shouted as this time he didn't have time to react as it slammed into him. He sailed through the air and hit a rock where the blast exploded, however it wasn't over yet.

"You can really take a hit, ze. To think that you could still stand after getting hit with my master spark head on."

"You're a really annoying bitch, you know that?" He leaped upwards and formed a black magic circle above himself. "Despair Sign: Unholy Rain!" Suddenly hundreds of needle like energy beams crashed down toward Marisa, covering a massive amount of space.

"Whoa! That's dangerous!" Marisa shouted as she raced around dodging all the rain before leaping on her broomstick and heading toward the spot where Zennosuke stood in the sky.

They momentarily clashed physically, her forehead against his own, before they both retreated backwards at high speeds.

"Star Sign: Meteonic Shower!" Marisa shouted as several star-like bullets exploded forth.

"Hell Sign: Chaos Pentagram!" Zennosuke roared as several bullets in the shape of pentagrams rushed forward, clashing with Marisa's attack and causing a bright explosion.

"It seems…I've underestimated you witch, you're obviously stronger than any normal human." Zennosuke spoke softly, bullets of sweat running down his face. "Tell me, what name do you go by?"

"Kirisame Marisa, Ze! Don't you forget it either!"

"Kirisame Marisa, I'll remember that. In return, I'll give you my name. Zennosuke…" He opened his mouth to say his last name, but wasn't able to, as a girl's voice pierced the tense atmosphere of the fight.

"Heeeey! Guys! Down here!" Standing on the shores of misty lake was a girl with blue hair and a green hat, she wore a blue dress.

"If it isn't Nitori!" Marisa said as she landed on the ground. "What's all the commotion about?"

"I was swimming the lake because I dropped one of my tools when I found something weird! It's like this seal, ya know? But it doesn't look anything a shrine maiden would use; it almost looks like a pentagram of some sort. I didn't want to mess with it at the time, but thinking it over, it seems really cool. Maybe we should find a way to unseal it!"

"Don't bother." Zennosuke's gruff voice spoke as he landed on the ground, his hands in his pockets. "That seal…is unbreakable. Don't ask me how I know that, but it would take a bunch of really powerful people to pry it open."

"Could this be the seal to the Youkai you were speaking of before?" Marisa cut in, her face full of suspicion.

"Who knows?" The man shrugged. "It might be, it might not be. Does it really matter at this point? It's clear that I will not be able to capture Yuuka, if I cannot even beat a simple human magician." He floated into the sky. "I must rethink my strategy, and proceed from there. It was a pleasure fighting with you, Kirisame Marisa. Perhaps we shall meet again someday." With those words, he took off flying toward the north.

"Who was that weirdo?" Nitori asked as she watched the man fly off.

"That's what I'd like to know, I've never seen him around here before, and to think he was so strong, what is he up to?" She turned to Nitori. "Perhaps if we unleash that seal before he does, we may be able to get to the bottom of this, it might not even be an evil Youkai. Let's tell the others about this, I'm sure they'll agree."

-Hakurei Shrine-

"So you're saying that he was able to fight evenly with you?" The voice of Reimu Hakurei asked.

"Yeah, he was pretty strong. He seemed well versed in Danmaku as well, but what I'm interested in, is his goal. He said he wanted to unseal some Youkai, and then Nitori said she had found an odd kinda of sealing mark at the bottom of Misty Lake, and he even went to display knowledge about it. There has to be a connection, ze. "

"You seem really interested in this Marisa, and so, why did you come to me?"

"Because I want you to undo that seal! The answer problem lies within it!"

"I won't readily unseal something that has a chance of unleashing something evil upon Gensokyo."

"I knew you'd react this way, but come on, surely you're curious!"

"Actually I couldn't give a damn." Reimu paused for a moment. "However, I am interested in this man's goal. Should he succeed, he may cause a very dangerous incident. I suppose we should track him down." She sighed as she stood up, not wanting to move at all. "I swear Marisa, if this turns out to be a false alarm; you return everything you borrowed from me."

"Hahaha, good thing it won't be!" Marisa cracked her knuckles as she too stood up. "Now why don't we track that good for nothing priest down and shake some answers out of him!"

-Tavern in the human village-

"Get me another cold one." A familiar gruff voice said.

"That's your 15th bottle, are you sure you're gonna be able to make it home?" The female bartender asked him with a worried expression.

"Home? Hah! That's a good one; a guy like me doesn't have a home to return to. "

"That so? Care to tell me what makes you drink so much? Anything bothering you?" The girl asked as she set down a beer in front of the grizzled priest who sat on a stool in front of the counter.

"Hey now, I thought I was supposed to be the one hearing confessions."

"It's just, you look so worn out, I wonder if you're in any kind of trouble."

"Something like that." He took a swing of the beer before continuing. "Let's just say I have a little problem on my hands and I don't think I'll be able to solve it. I won't stand a chance alone."

"Don't you have any friends that you can turn to?"

"Friends? That'd be nice, but I lost all my friends long ago." He looked down at the counter, as if remembering better times. "Life can be hard for an old man like myself, no one to rely on, just me and my booze, that's all I got." He gave the bartender a tired smile. "Though to know there are still people who care for others, it gives me hope in this world." Standing up slowly the priest turned around, having already paid in advance. Sauntering over to the exit of the tavern, he was about to open the door and leave before he paused and spoke. "How long are you going to spy on me? I know you're there."

"Oh, you caught on to me? It seems like you're not the average old man." A voice spoke from behind him.

"Hah, you already knew I wasn't normal, otherwise you wouldn't have been spying on me, am I right…Yukari Yakumo?"

"It's been a long time, Zennosuke. You've gotten old." The blonde haired woman said as she sat down on a bar stool.

"Heh, it's true that I could be looking better, how long has it been, 40 years since we last spoke? It's easy to lose track of time."

"That it is, but I must wonder…" Her eyes grew serious for a moment. "Why did you take mercy on Kirisame Marisa? Even at your age, you could have easily killed her."

"Because I saw no reason to kill her, after all, she's…" He was cut off before he could finish by a gust of wind in front of the door. "Well, Well speak of the devil." Standing a few feet in front of him was Marisa and Reimu, both of them looking ready to fight. "It seems a couple of eyesores have turned up."

"That's tough talk for a guy who ran away!"

"Ran away? You seem to have misunderstood the situation then. I didn't run away." He stared at Marisa. "I let you walk away with your life."

"What was that, ze!? I'm gonna pummel all I need out of you!"

"Calm yourself, Marisa." Reimu cut in by placing a hand on the witch's shoulder. "The important question we should be asking is what connection he has with Yukari."

"That's a simple one." Yukari spoke up. "We go way back, before you two girls were even born, back then, he was a very powerful priest who helped solve incidents in Gensokyo, although, even though he's aged, he still holds a lot of the power he had then." She gave a slight laugh. "We were a pretty fearsome duo; he wasn't lazy like you are." She snapped a look at Reimu. "However, one day he just walked out on his duties and vanished into the world unknown."

"For you to be so casually speaking of my past while I'm standing right here…you haven't changed at all Yukari." The priest sighed before letting his shoulders slump. "I take it you know why I've resurfaced."

"Of course I do, you want to revive that atrocity. I, however, cannot let you do that. It's a shame to have an old ally turn into an enemy, but what you're attempting is far too dangerous."

"I was afraid you'd say that." A small smile crossed his face as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Looks like this old man really is alone." He slowly began walking forward then. "Sadly, I'm afraid I can't let you stop me here, not after I've come so far. You'll just have to move!" He exploded forward in a dash, passing both Marisa and Reimu in a split second. "Here is not the place to fight, if you wish to stop me, come to Misty Lake! That is where the final showdown shall be held!" He began floating into the air. -I have to get distance between Yukari and myself, she's going to be a real pain in my ass. Not to mention that shrine maiden, she looks pretty tough.-

"Wait." Reimu said looking up at him. "You're not going to Misty Lake, are you? I may not be motivated half the time, but if I remember correctly from what Marisa told me earlier, you need a sacrifice first, you wouldn't be going to the seal unprepared."

Zennosuke's face remained emotionless, but inside his mind was running a million miles per hour. -This bitch, she saw right through me! I'm going to have to watch my step around her.-

"I'm right, aren't I?" The shrine maiden said with a smirk. "You were hoping to throw us off with that little speech of yours, but I'm not that stupid."

"Bravo!" Zennosuke said with a hearty laugh. "You caught onto me; I'd expect nothing less from someone entrusted with Gensokyo's safety." His face grew serious then. "My real destination is the mansion of Yuuka Kazami, she's the only one strong enough." He cracked his fists, before taking off toward Yuuka's mansion. –That's right Yukari, you do your thing, get there before I do.- He thought to himself as he looked back with a smirk, his plan was back on track. He stopped short then, bringing his arms into an arm fold. "They'll expect me to arrive soon, and they dare not leave. This will give me ample time to think of a new strategy." -Yukari has power over all of Gensokyo, she's a very dangerous adversary indeed, and then there's the shrine maiden. Heh, a befitting person for that role. The witch as well, she is quite formidable, if a bit…out there. Lastly, the Youkai, Yuuka Kazami. I must account for every person who could possibly pose a threat to me; I must assess this situation and create a new plan to proceed with. There's only one probable way forward, I'll have to switch targets.- He cracked his neck. "It's time to set Plan B into motion."

-Yuuka's Mansion-

"What the hell are you doing at my mansion?" Yuuka asked with irritation.

"It's a long story, ze. But trust me, you'll see soon enough."

Not long after Marisa's words, an explosion occurred in front of them as Zennosuke appeared. He had come just like he said he would. Although there was something different about him, he seemed…more confident.

"I didn't think you'd come." Yukari said, sitting on the roof of Yuuka's mansion. "Surely you don't think you can win against all of us?"

"You are correct. Winning against all of you is impossible. That is why I shall only fight one of you." He pointed at Yuuka. "Kazami-San, I request a fight with you, just the two of us. I value 1 on 1's and I'm sure you'll agree, outside help is never fun. Especially for those of us who don't need it."

"And why would I fight a weakling human like you? I have no reason to fight you. Now if you excuse me, I must tend to my sunflowers." She said before turning on her heel and walking away.

"Not even if I know where your father is?" Zennosuke added under his breath.

"If you thought you could goad me with that, you're mistaken. I do not have a father." She said as she continued walking.

"Hah, as cold as I expected you to be. Looks like I won't be able to fight you after all." He let his arms hang limply at his sides. "Instead I'll have to take someone else as a sacrifice." He vanished into a whirl of speed and appeared behind Marisa, where he cupped his right hand over her mouth. "She's strong enough to suffice. Unless you want to reconsider? Perhaps someone else would like to volunteer as a sacrifice, anyone? Anyone at all?"

"Marisa!" Reimu yelled as she began to run forward.

"Isn't that cute. You really DO care, as expected of the shrine maiden. Now I wouldn't move if I were you I'm fully willing to kill this girl." He said in an eerily calm voice, like he had no problem with what he was saying.

"I won't ever understand you." Reimu sighed. "I don't get your motives, your emotions seem confused. It's almost like something is tearing at you from the inside."

"You think I'm confused. You know nothing about me, child. I require a sacrifice and I will get one, no matter the means."

"You really have changed." Yukari solemnly said. "The old you would never resort to anything like this, no matter what the situation was. What the hell happened to you?"

"The truth happened, Yukari. I realized the truth of this world, a world that is nothing but an illusion, an illusion created by those long ago, who were afraid of Youkai, sealing them away. However…" A smirk crossed his face. "This illusion helped me, thanks to you. Day by day, seeing how you worked, seeing how you moved and acted. Seeing how you went along your life. I finally realized the secret to Gensokyo. Did you really think that I really valued the peace in Gensokyo? It's true, you don't trust anyone easily, even your shikigami you kept secrets from, so I know there are still things I do not know, but I've learned far more than any other person standing here besides you knows." He let Marisa go at that point and shoved her forward. "I like that look in your eye Yukari, it's the look of hatred. You really want me dead, don't you?" He licked his lips and chuckled.

"I see now, you've probably been possessed." Reimu said as she rubbed her chin. "You're giving off a different vibe from before."

"No." Yukari said coldly. "That's his real self, I can feel it. Although perhaps you're upping the dramatics a bit, those may have been your goals, but I highly doubt your personality is so drastically different."

Zennosuke let loose a laugh. "As perceptive as usually, Yukari. I'm exactly the same person I was back then, it just so happens we stand on opposite sides of the spectrum. We're destined to be enemies."

"Why would you lie to me back then?" Yukari questioned him.

"Says the woman who lies." Zennosuke retorted.

"I honestly don't care who's evil or good here, ze! We gonna rumble or not!?" Marisa interrupted.

"Oh, you're alive." Yuuka said nonchalantly, having been interested in the conversation, she had stuck around.

"That's so harsh…" Marisa said as her head drooped.

Zennosuke sighed. "I suppose there's no more time to waste talking; I don't want to keep his cranky face waiting." He snapped his fingers and several flying swords appeared around him, seeming to be holy in nature. He made it so three of them targeted Yuuka and flew at her.

Yuuka casually dodged them without really paying attention. "Do you mind? I was trying to count how many flower seeds I would to fill this patch of dirt."

Zennosuke slammed his hands together and charged magical energy. "Hell Sign: Pentagram Hail!" He shouted as suddenly a bunch of pentagrams fell from the sky toward Yuuka.

She simply opened up her umbrella and blocked all the attacks easily, careful not to let any get past her as she didn't want her garden damaged. "You're getting annoying."

"That's what I want to hear, get annoyed. Come at me, Yuuka Kazami." Zennosuke said with a smirk as he readied another spell.

It was then that she fired a single master spark at him, not putting much effort into it, but it was powerful enough that it overshadowed what Marisa could do.

"Barrier Sign: Sunflower Requiem!" He shouted as he slammed his hands into the ground and a wall of sunflowers appeared before him.

Yuuka reacted with lightning speed and ended up deflecting her own master spark. "You bastard, don't bring sunflowers into this."

"I spent a few good years perfecting that spell, just for this occasion. I know you cannot bear to see sunflowers or honestly, any other kind of plant life harmed."

"I see, so he did have a plan up his sleeve." Yukari said as she smirked. "He may be a lying evil dick, but don't forget he was still my partner at one point, ones gotta be smart to pull that role off."

"Tch, that won't work on me for long." Yuuka said. "They are not flowers grown by me, and hence, I don't really feel that much attachment to them." She said, but then noticed he was gone. Whirling around, she saw him standing in front of her sunflower garden.

"I'm gonna do it. I will. So help me." He said as he held out a hand and readied his next spell. He inched closer to the garden.

"Bastard! Don't you dare touch my sunflowers!" Yuuka screamed as she charged a double master spark and fired it, which then multiplied into four.

It was then that Zennosuke turned to face the incoming attacks. "Despair Sign: Absolute Zero Version 2!" He shouted as he ran headfirst into the blasts, but instead of cancelling out, they were redirected right back at Yuuka. Except one of them though, one of them sped off in a different direction. It attempted to slam right into Marisa, who wasn't paying attention at the time. However it was countered by a quick barrier from Reimu, the noise from this was enough to make Yuuka turn around for a second to see if it was another trick which was after she had parried the three other master sparks.

Zennosuke appeared right behind the Youkai and slammed his right palm into her back, a cross charged with holy magic pressed against Yuuka's back.

"You really think that will work against me, Priest?" Yuuka said without turning around. "It's impossible to hurt me with such trivial things."

"Despair Sign: Omega Buster…" He said calmly, as he had used the cross as a feint. A huge purple blast exploded from his right hand, engulfing the Youkai completely. "Goddamn Doppelgangers!" He cursed as he nearly dodged a punch from Yuuka and rolled across the ground. "The strongest Youkai they call you, I now see why. To think that I could have beaten you head on, what the hell was I thinking?" He stood up fully and placed his hands in his pockets. "I honestly have no chance at all, at least…fighting like I am now." Dark energy enveloped him then, showing the more…fallen side of him. "Allow me to present to you, the depths of magic!"

"Go ahead and show me whatever you like, Old man. You won't be able to win against me." Yuuka said her umbrella at the ready.

"That's enough!" Reimu's voice rang out as she walked forward, an angry look on her face. "I cannot allow this to continue any further, if there is even the vaguest possibility of him winning, then all would be lost for Gensokyo, who knows what could be within that seal. "

"Stay out of this, Hakurei! This is my fight, intervene and I'll kill you!" Yuuka hissed at her, obviously becoming more and more unstable.

"Darkness Sign: Nightmare Rondo." Zennosuke said as a dark purple cloud exploded outwards, engulfing everyone in the area. "This spell brings out the deepest fears in everyone, but not only that, it also traps them in an illusion with those fears for what seems like 90 days, while in reality, it is only 10 minutes."

-Dream-

"I do not have any fear. I have no weaknesses!" Yuuka said as she shrugged off the spell.

"That's what I want to hear from the strongest Youkai!" He said as he charged forward toward her.

"I'll tear you to shreds!" She roared as she grabbed his face as soon as he got within range and slammed the back of his head into the ground.

-Reality-

"Even the strongest of Youkai, can fall for the simplest of illusions." Zennosuke said as he stared at the still body of Yuuka, whose eyes seemed to look on forever into the horizon, empty of all thought. He looked around; all of the others were still stuck in their respective illusions, except for Yukari, who seemed to have escaped. He grabbed Yuuka by the hair and began dragging her, the first phase of his plan was complete, but there was no doubt that Yukari would stand in his way. "I'm sure, the shrine maiden and witch will be after me soon enough…" He smiled to himself. "Much blood will be shed, but the fact is…Do they really care about the woman I have captured, or is that they only care for the safety of Gensokyo and nothing more? Only time shall tell." The fallen priest spoke quietly as he vanished into a teleport with Yuuka, heading toward Misty Lake.

-Hakurei Shrine-

"Dammit!" Marisa yelled slamming her right fist against a floorboard. "I can't believe he got away, and with such a cheap trick too! I'm going over there to kick his ass and rescue Yuuka right now!"

"Marisa, calm down." Reimu said as she took a sip of tea. "Rushing over there with rage in our eyes is probably exactly what that man wants. Can't you tell?" She set her tea cup down on the floor in front of her. "That man isn't normal, everything that went down at the mansion yesterday, it seemed like it was all a part of his plan. We were simply the pawns on his chess board." She sighed. "It really shouldn't come as a surprise, I mean he did work with Yukari all those years, a few things must've rubbed off on him."

"I still can't help but be angry; this guy comes in out of nowhere and starts acting like he's hot stuff. I won't be able to sleep at night until he's out of the picture."

"I wish you luck with that then." It was the voice of Yukari who had spoke up this time; she was sitting next to Reimu like she had been there the entire time. "He's not someone you could ever hope to beat, Marisa. He stands on an entirely different level than you."

"Yukari's right. What we need to do now, is not rush blindly in, but to think of a plan. Perhaps we'll have to get others in on this…as much as I'd love to avoid doing that, it may be the only option."

"I know the perfect person to help as well~" Yukari said with a mischievous smile.

-Misty lake-

Yuuka's consciousness stirred as her eyes slowly opened, she could barely remember anything and her head felt like a brick. "What the hell…happened?" She asked herself and then was startled as she couldn't move her body. Her wrists, neck, waste and ankles were secured to a rock by special chains and from what she could make out, a barrier was around her. "So I was caught? Did whoever they are think they could really hold me with this?" She tried to summon her magical power, but none came, she couldn't even muster any physical strength. "What the hell is this?"

"It's no use escaping." A familiar voice spoke from outside of the barrier. It was the priest from earlier, but it appeared he had cleaned up some. He now had a clean shaven face and his unruly hair was cut short and slicked back with only one wavy bang hanging in front of his face. "That prison was especially made to hold only you, Yuuka Kazami. You can struggle all you like, but it won't get you anywhere." He chuckled softly. "Honestly, capturing you was a real hassle, so I don't think I'll be letting you go that easily."

"How do you know all this stuff? How did you know what was needed to secure me? Who exactly are you?"

"My dear Yuuka, I know everything. There is nothing that escapes this mind of mine. I keep everything that I need." He touched his forehead. "Up here." He smirked. "You see, there's a reason why Yukari wanted me as her partner, and it's not because I was a priest. It's because of my true ability, archive!" He held out his right hand in front of himself. "Archive is an ability that is absolute memorization. Not a single memory escapes; I am capable of memorizing anyone's face, information, magical aura, all at a single glance. It is like a giant library in my head, once I learn something, I can draw on it whenever I want and use it at my own leisure. Yukari adored this ability of mine and took advantage of it, revealing the true reason why I worked with her." He crossed his arms. "You're probably wondering, when exactly did I have a chance to learn all about you? It wasn't until recently I'd say, but I got information from a certain source. I won't disclose who, but they're a very important friend of mine."

"So, that explains a lot…You really are a dangerous son of a bitch. Oh well, not much I can do right now except watch how things unfold."

"As expected, you aren't really one to care about things going on, even if they concern yourself. Now then, it's time to begin the ritual." He began writing runes all over the ground before slamming his hands together and expelling an aura of dark energy. "I won't be able to defend myself while performing the ritual, looks like you're up."

A dark humanoid shape began to form in front of him, before the darkness wore off and revealed a young male with long shoulder-length neon red hair and neon green eyes; he wore a bright sapphire robe and had a nodachi strapped to the left side of his waist. "It's been awhile since you summoned me, Zennosuke-Sama, what are your orders?" The male asked in a soft tone, protruding from his left shoulder was a long white angel wing.

"I'm going to be rather busy with a ritual, but I'm certain people will want to interrupt me, can you see to it that they don't get the chance? I'm sure you're strong enough, I've altered the contract, you can use your full power for the next fight."

"Of course, I will not let a single person past me." He drew his nodachi with his right hand and slashed it through the air, suddenly thirty of the streets a hundred feet away were cut in half. "There is nothing my blade cannot cut." He walked forward and sat down, awaiting the opponents that he would have to fight.

"Actually, don't wait here for them. It'd be a pain if they brought the fight to us. Head to the Kourindou, I know that's a place people often go for supplies and information, if they're not there, then head to the Hakurei Shrine."

"As you command, my lord." He stood up and floated into the air before taking off toward his destination, ready to fight.

-Kourindou-

"Hey! Kourin! Can I buy some items, ze?" Marisa said when Rinnosuke opened the door.

"No." He said bluntly before slamming the door in her face.

"But Kouuuurin! This is really important." Marisa whined from outside the door.

"I don't trust you in my store, not after last time…" He shuddered as he remembered the horrible memory.

"All I did was do some shopping!"

"No…I've seen shopping, what you did in here was complete chaos."

"Well! I'll tell you the situation, maybe then you'll help!"

"Go ahead, it won't make a difference."

"Well there's this seal at the bottom of misty lake…" She was interrupted as the door flung open and Rinnosuke yanked her inside, closing the door behind her.

"If it's about that, we can't risk anyone else hearing about it. Now tell me, exactly what's going on." He said, suddenly interested in the topic.

"So you knew about all this, ze?" Marisa asked after she told him the whole story.

"More or less, but the fact that someone wants to awaken it, he really has to be an idiot."

"Well what do we do now? We've gotta stop him! "

"Yeah, but before that. I suggest we handle what's waiting outside for us." Rinnosuke walked over to the door and opened it, revealing a red haired man sitting peacefully against a rock. "It was certainly polite of you to wait until we came out to greet you."

"It's dishonorable to attack people who are not prepared." The youth replied as he stood up, his nodachi in hand. "However, I'm afraid we're destined to be enemies." He pointed his weapon at the two people in front of him. "My name is Hirosame. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Love Sign: Master Spark!" Marisa yelled, not wanting to waste any time as she blasted the swordsman standing in front of them.

However, the teenage male, in one fluid motion of his sword, cut the master spark in twain! The two halves parted around him and crashed into some trees. "There is nothing, my sword cannot cut." He said calmly as he began walking forward. "Try everything you like, not a single attack will reach it's mark."

Marisa wasn't deterred; she leaped into the sky above him and charged her next attack. "Star Sign: Dragon Meteor!" She fired another attack and aimed to slam it into the swordsman from above. "Try and cut this, ze!"

"Futile." He said as he easily cut through the blast and then leaped into the air, his sword rose in the air above his head. "I told you, there is nothing my sword cannot cut." He swung down, but missed as Marisa had avoided his sword slash. "You're fast, but speed will not defeat me."

"I'm not done yet, take this!" She flew away at a fast pace before returning. "Comet: Blazing Star!" She shouted as she unleashed a barrage of bullets toward Hirosame.

"Impressive, however." He gave a melancholic smile as he readied his blade. "It will not work." In the midst of this, he seemed to forget about Rinnosuke's existence as his legs were pulled out from under him by the shopkeeper who quickly retreated to a safe spot. "To interfere in a 1 on 1 fight, how dirty." He said as his back slammed against the ground and all the bullets crashed into him.

"That takes care of that, ze." She gave a thumbs up to Rinnosuke. "Thanks for the hel…" She was cut off as she felt an incredible pain shoot across her back; she turned around and only saw blood as she had been slashed diagonally. "Ugh…" She groaned as she fell toward the ground.

"Marisa!" Rinnosuke shouted as he sprinted and caught her just in time. He looked up in the sky to see Hirosame standing there, his nodachi painted crimson by Marisa's blood.

"I will not continue to fight those who cannot fight back. I suggest you get that girl medical treatment." He sheathed his blade and began floating away.

"So you're taking mercy on us after all that? What exactly are you after?"

"My orders were to hold you off; I was never given an order to kill you. Besides, it'd leave a bad taste in my mouth if I killed the defenseless." The youth stated before vanishing into a whirl of speed.

Rinnosuke held the unconscious Marisa in his arms and swore. "Dammit, it looks like things are really heating up…"


	2. Chapter 2

-Inside Kourindou-

Rinnosuke was sitting on a chair, looking out a window. Beside him was a bed that held the injured Marisa, who had been patched up and was now sleeping soundly. He was thinking about all that had transpired when he heard the sound of footsteps slowly coming closer. They continued for awhile until the tapping stopped and he could feel another presence in the room. He didn't have to turn around to know who it was; it could only be one person. He turned in his chair to see Yukari standing in the entranceway, her gaze focused on the ground. "Has his legacy come back to haunt us?"

Yukari responded with only a small nod.

Standing up abruptly, Rinnosuke slammed his right hand against the wall. "How did this happen?! You and I are the only ones who know this information! "

"We can't focus on our mistakes right now, we've got to fix this before it becomes an incident that could threaten the well being of Gensokyo itself."

"Then why are you just sitting around biting your tongue? Look!" He pointed to Marisa. "People are already getting injured, how long are you going to sit idly by while more and more people get hurt!? The time to act is now Yukari, we can't run from the past any longer!" He took a deep breath, in a bid to regain his composure. "You should have never put so much trust in that priest…"

"Isn't it normal to put trust in someone who holds the position of your partner?"

"Heh, that's unlike you." His eyes became sharp as he looked at her. "Usually when referring to someone you work with, you call them a subordinate, a servant or an underling. The term partner means you acknowledge him as your equal, I couldn't imagine the great Yukari calling someone her equal."

Yukari didn't answer; she merely continued to look at the floor.

"Furthermore, if you knew he posed a threat as great as this, why didn't you kill him? I'm sure you ran into him after he resurfaced, so why did you spare him? Yukari…could it be, that you've fallen for this man?"

It was a long time before she answered, it seemed like hours passed when it was only a few minutes, but eventually she looked up and locked eyes with Rinnosuke. "At one time, what you just said could be considered true. I have no attachments to this man who calls himself Zennosuke, however…Whenever I see him, I still see the man I fell in love with all those years ago. I admit that I trusted him on another level from the others, I told him a lot of things that I shouldn't have. I never thought that he would turn into someone like this. That smile on his face from back then, he cared about Gensokyo so much, the passion that he fought with, I don't understand how he could fall so low."

"I thought it was something like that, you hesitate because you feel he's still in there somewhere, that somehow he's been corrupted. Now that I recall, you once told me about the ability he had, a fearsome one, archive wasn't it? If someone were to possess him…they'd instantly know everything he knew, and if what I fear is true, then Zennosuke knows all about the history of the seal."

"Yes." Yukari said as she bit her lip. "I told him about the seal, it was on a stressful day and I just needed to vent…and he was there for me. I don't know why I did it and I regret ever telling him, but that knowledge, if it fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for all of Gensokyo."

"Heh, that seal is just one pain in the neck. I wish I never heard the tale of that monstrosity. A being without equal, said to destroy entire continents with just a shout. He was known as Avarvice of the black road. Nothing could withstand his might, and it's sung that nothing could harm him. We both know this story well, but I've been doing some studying on one aspect of it."

"And what aspect might that be?"

"His sealing…They say he couldn't be reached with any attack, but still, a few catholic priests were able to seal him in Misty lake? I just find that…suspicious. With all the details about this demon, and all of the info, I just can't believe that he was sealed so easily. So, because of that, I dug deeper." He rubbed his chin. "I found a few witness reports in some dusty history books, they told of a struggle prior to the sealing, not between the priests and Avarvice, but from what they described…a dual between two monsters. From what I've deduced, that means that the probability of the priests accomplishing this task alone is very low, as I thought. What this data concludes, is that someone or something helped them in that struggle and since it was likely not human, they decided to erase the records of such an assistance, fearing that humans getting helped by something like a Youkai would be received with rage."

"So you're saying…that we weren't told the entire truth?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, there's something they were hiding and I'm going to unravel that mystery, no matter what it takes. In the meantime, I suggest you handle your ex-boyfriend, whether you free his mind or kill him, I don't care. But…" He looked over at his sword of kusanagi hanging on the wall. "It isn't yet time for me to step in, at least not now. My job Is solving this mystery, and through it, perhaps I can figure out a way to stop that demon once and for all."

"I get you; I'll warn everyone…I don't think things are going to get easier from here on in."

"I agree, let everyone know, the more people that know, the better chance we have of stopping this monster from resurrecting."

"I'm counting on you, Rinnosuke. Figure this out!" Yukari said before retreating into one of her gaps and closing it behind her.

"That's exactly what I'll do." He smirked. "I won't let a single fact evade me, through these old documents and fables; I shall discover the kernel of truth!"

-Misty Lake-

"Master, what should I do about these fairies?" Hirosame asked as he stood above the unconscious forms of Cirno and Daiyousei. "It seems this place is their home."

"Fairies won't die if ya kill them, so just leave them where they are, eventually they'll take the hint after enough beat downs." Zennosuke replied from the spot where he sat on the shore. He lifted his hand in front of his face. "I honestly didn't think I'd be able to fool all those people, but this archive ability comes in handy. Because of it, I can know all the things this person did, granted my personality slips a few times. Still, this body is old, I'll need to replenish it soon enough, get some youth back in it, but I can worry about that another day."

He stood up and dusted himself off. "I wonder what those people are doing, scurrying about probably. Trying to get ready for the grand finale. Ah well, at least I managed to take out that idiot witch, she was a pain in the ass. I had to do it indirectly though, else I'd be breakin' my promises. I wouldn't want to break a promise to the great and powerful Mima, now would I?" He said with a smirk as he turned around to face her. "Aw, what's with the face? You're angry aren't you? Just because I broke a promise. I didn't do it directly, so I didn't really violate anything, now did I? Your conditions when I spoke of my plans to you that day were that you didn't really care what I did, so long as I left the Hakurei shrine and your dear old apprentice intact. Well I kept that promise, she ain't dead, just a bit incapacitated, and the Hakurei shrine is doin just fine. Oh! I didn't tell you the part about Yuuka, did I? Must've slipped my mind, I'm so terribly sorry."

"Honestly." Mima said as she facepalmed. "I'm not mad at you at all; I just pity you at this point. I didn't actually think you were going to go through with this entire plan, to think you were actually this stupid. Trying to release a supernatural evil force upon the world is one thing, but kidnapping Yuuka too? Do you want a death wish? The people of Gensokyo may not look like it, but they really do see each other as family, so picking a fight with Yuuka, is picking a fight with all of them. Granted." She looked at the prison where Yuuka was held and sweatdropped. "I don't think that flower Youkai really cares. Look at her, sleeping over there like it's her vacation house, you'd think she just won a trip to mattress world."

"Don't underestimate me, Mima-san, I'm fully prepared for what's to come."

"Oh really? What if I broke the barrier sealing Yuuka right at this very moment."

"You won't, that's not like you."

"Sadly, I'll have to. I don't really have much of a friendship with this Youkai, but letting her die would probably put my dear apprentice to tears, and I can't bear the image of that."

"Do you really think I'd let you to so? It's not that easy, I already anticipated something like this." He snapped his fingers and a barrier formed around Mima. "If you hadn't brought that up, you could have been able to go on your merry way."

"Eh, fine with me." Mima said with a blank stare. "This means I can watch all the drama up close and personal, I like that. Besides, you won't be able to hold me long with a barrier of this level, but just to humor you, I'll stay."

"Quite an ego you have there, ah well. It'll be time to commence the ritual soon. Hirosame, make sure to keep a good eye on the skies, we don't know when they'll show up."

"Yes, Zennosuke!"

A pause.

"What was that?"

"I said, Yes…Zennosuke." Hirosame repeated before turning to face the man who was once his master.

"Heh, you're going to revolt? Cute, you can't fight against your master!" He snapped his fingers to de-summon his shikigami, but nothing happened.

"What an impressive kid." Mima said from behind her barrier. "He broke the contract with sheer willpower alone."

"My master would never use such underhanded schemes…he would never use me to do his dirty work and he would never, go back on a promise!" Hirosame roared as he charged forwards and slashed downward, however he wasn't aiming at Zennosuke, instead his sword cut clean through the barrier that was holding Mima. He turned around as he stood next to Mima. "My sword cannot cut the barrier that traps Yuuka-Dono, he made sure to put that in the creation of the barrier, in case I ever turned against him." He sighed. "My Master was never this cunning, that's what gave him away; the real Zennosuke was a bit of an…airhead if you will."

"I would have never guessed, but I suppose that means he'll be fully prepared for whatever we throw at him…what a drag, I was hoping to kick his ass."

"That may be possible, but as it stands, we aren't in the position to attack him head on. We'll have to play it safe."

"Alright, let's head back to Hakurei shrine, I want to see where my apprentice is and if she's recovering fine."

"Yes, that will be the safest bet…even though it's sort of my fault she ended up like that."

"Yep, you'll have to pay for that someday, but that day will have to wait, let's get going."

Zennosuke merely watched as the two people took off together and couldn't help but let a smile cross his face. "Good, good, that eliminates any potential traitors, I was wrong to summon him in the first place, it's always best to work alone, no one can stab you in the back then." He looked up at the sky. "Just try and stop me if you can, heheheh."

"Now then…I cannot waste anymore time, the ritual must begin now." The priest said with a smirk. "Soon all of them will be gathered here…exactly as planned."

"You…" Yuuka said, now awake. "Never planned on sacrificing me in the first place, did you?"

"Reviving him…will take much more power than that, the seal is strong. By capturing you and making it seem like the ritual will begin soon, everyone will rush here, in a bid to stop it…when in reality, that's precisely what I want them to do." He began to laugh. "Don't worry, no one will die, I will simply take energy from the group as a whole." He turned to her with a psychotic smirk. "After all, if everyone dies before I'm released, there'll be nobody to destroy, and that ain't no fun."

At that moment, Yuuka sensed a very dark aura within the priest. It seemed like the person who was glaring at her wasn't a human at all, but something far worse. She knew she had to escape now, something about this whole situation worried her, and that man's eyes weren't helping. Those weren't human eyes anymore. "Who are you? You're certainly no priest."

"Who am I? Now that's a funny question. I would expect you'd remember me after all this time, as you huddled in your tiny house as the world around you was engulfed in flames. Can't you recall? It's obvious isn't it! My name is Avarvice!" He chuckled with a deep voice. "Granted, I'm nowhere near the same to what I used to be, I am but a shell of my former self, taking refuge in this body."

A shiver went up Yuuka's spine as his name resonated with her head, she remembered the name alright. She remembered all the destruction that man caused all those years ago. She wasn't allowed to go outside during those days, but she could remember all of the screams she heard. "How are you still alive? I thought you were killed!"

"Killed? Is that what they told you? My innocent child, I cannot be killed. I was merely sealed away, at the bottom of Misty Lake, where I still rest to this day. Before I was sealed, I sent a portion of my soul away where it rested within a jar for many years. Until a certain priest opened that jar…as soon as he did, I latched onto him and merged with his soul, eventually being able to assume complete control." He laughed once more. "Soon the ritual will commence, and I shall rise from the waves, able to commence my destruction once more." As he said this, the body of the priest changed even more, it was ending up more and more contaminated by Avarvice's presence. His wrinkles vanished, and his hair turned a bright crimson. "Come Gensokyo, come to your grave! You hear me!? I CHALLENGE YOU ALL!"

"I heard you." The voice of Reimu said from down the shoreline. "I'm afraid I can't sit back and let you do what you want, I've heard everything from Yukari, no, we've heard everything from Yukari."

Standing behind Reimu was a congress of Youkai, oni and Tengu. Everyone had gathered, they were ready for this final battle.

"So at last you arrive. So be it then, show me what you can do." Soul!Avarvice said as he readied his stance. He smirked at this moment, they had already stepped into the danger zone without knowing it, and their energy was already being drained from them. All he could do now is hold them off until the ritual was complete. Dark energy began to swirl around him as flying swords came into existence around his being. "Come at me then!" He slammed his hands together and tornadoes of dark magic formed, reaching high into the sky. "Despair Sign: Tsunami!" Suddenly a large wave of darkness appeared behind him, rising to meet the heavens themselves, like a wall of death itself. "Destroy them all!" He sent it forwards, aiming to wipe them all out, even though it wouldn't do much damage at all. However, this was part of his plan, he wasn't intending to win this fight, he just had to keep them at bay. Of course, just as he expected, the attack was dispersed by the enemies counterattack. "Just as planned." He smiled, the more energy the others used, the more of it went to completing the ritual.

"What's wrong? You don't seem to be worried." A voice said from behind him, a voice belonging to Fujiwara no Mokou. "All these people against you and you still have a confident smile on your face, just what are you hiding!?" She shouted as she attempted to pummel him with a fist full of fire.

Sidestepping her attack, his smile never left his face, it was almost…serene. He ducked as a kick flew over his head. "An Oni, interesting." He said casually as he avoided all of Suika's punches and kicks. "You may be strong, but strength means nothing if you can't hit me."

"Whoa there!" He said with a smirk as he nearly avoided an attack from Aya. "Speedy indeed, I'll have to watch out for you." He was so calm, as he dodged everyones attacks, but he didn't seem to be on the offensive at all.

"What's going on?" Reimu said, having tried to hit the man, but have all her attacks miss. "He's like a totally different person than he was at Yuuka's place." It was then that she noticed something; would she normally be this out of breath? She could see it in others too, everyone was getting tired at a terrifying rate. "What's going on…wait." It was then that it hit her. "It's not that he's faster…it's that we're slower!"

"Looks like you figured it out." Soul!Avarvice said from directly in front of Reimu. "But you're too late." He raised a foot and slammed it into the shrine maiden, sending her crashing into the ground. "Even if you kill me now, it won't matter. Thanks to you fools, I've already gained all the energy needed." He chuckled. "It's time for the ultimate moment. Shall we begin?" It was at that moment that he turned around, only to see a flash of red and green. Turning to look above him, he saw Yuuka there. "So you really could escape whenever you wanted to, go ahead and kill me. Killing this body won't make a lick of difference!"

Yuuka was about to start her attack when Yukari grabbed her from behind. "W-What are you doing!?"

"Don't harm him, we can still save him." Yukari said, her mind was made up, she would save Zennosuke with her own hands.

"Beautiful story." Soul!Avarvice said as he grabbed one of his flying swords and thrust it forward, impaling both Yuuka and Yukari through the stomach. "But I'm not the type for romance." He turned around as the two women fell to the ground and he couldn't help but laugh. "At last! It is time for my grand revival! Despair! There is nothing that can save you from this fate!"

A bright light exploded from the lake as the water parted around it.

"S-Shit, the seal actually broke?" Mokou said staring down at the light in the lake. "This can't be good."

"Yes! Despair shall engulf this world! Let all return to ashes!" The red haired former priest yelled as he broke into a fit of laughter. A great evil was about to be unleashed upon Gensokyo, would this truly be the end? Soon the darkness from around Zennosuke faded, and his appearance returned to its former look, as he plummeted toward the ground. The soul of Avarvice returning to its proper owner.

A red haired man looked up from the bottom of the lake, his demonic eyes scanning the sky. He smirked deliciously. "It's time for a royal celebration!"

"Do you feel that?" Mokou asked, looking at the others. "What kind of freaking energy is that, it's making the ground shake, it's even hard to breathe?" She blinked and then noticed the red haired man was standing directly in front of her. "Wha-"

"That my dear, is the feeling of utter despair." He said with a smirk. The man shook his head. "I wouldn't think about it, Shrine Maiden. Your barriers cannot hold me." He said looking down at Reimu who had gotten up. "You're wondering did I just read your mind? I dunno, did I?" He chuckled as a black vine wrapped around him, it was covered in thorns and attatched to it, was a big black eye with pure red eyes and dark pupils. "That's right! I am a Satori Youkai, pleased to meet you. My name is Avarvice! The first ever Satori Youkai." His attention turned back to Mokou who had thrown a fireball at him. "That ain't very nice." He said casually as the attack hit an invisible force around him and dispersed. "Ah well, you'll all be seeing true hopelessness in due time."

He looked around and took a deep breath before exhaling. "So this is Gensokyo huh? I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the piece of my soul that just rejoined me, I know many things now. For one, I know that the Shrine Maiden is one of the few who could possibly stop me, and the other two, Yukari and Yuuka was it? I already took them out, so that means, with all of you at half power, you have no chance to stop me! Or maybe that's what an overconfident villain would think, no. I won't rule anything out, there's always a chance for victory, no matter how slim, especially for you hero types." He descended toward the ground before hovering in front of the island that housed the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "You'd think our neighbors would complain about the noise, no? I'll go and say hi." He held both arms to his sides and charged a yellow magical blast in one palm and a purple blast in the other unhindered by the effects of Danmaku. "Chaos Collider." He said as he brought his arms forward, the yellow and purple energies merged together creating a pure black energy ball, which he fired at the mansion in a wave, akin to a dark master spark.

The blast traveled toward the mansion at frightening speed and slammed into the building, utterly destroying it. "Oh." Avarvice whistled in surprise as he turned around to see the residents floating behind him. "So you did manage to evacuate, or perhaps you were never in there to begin with. Bravo." He clapped with sincerity. "What's wrong? Mad that I destroyed your home? You should relax, after all, soon this world will be nothing but ashes, and you can all feel eachothers pain!" His magical energy exploded outwards, causing a shockwave like none other before. "However, you guys weren't affected by the energy drain were you? Dealing with you may prove to be a hassle." He smirked. "And so, I shall make haste!" He vanished into a teleport, retreating to a safe haven.

-Hakurei Shrine: Regrouping-

"So." Reimu said, rubbing the spot on her head that got injured. "Everyone survived, that's the good thing, the bad thing, Yukari and Yuuka will be out of commission for a bit longer, while regenerating from wounds like those would be trivial, the reduced energy makes it harder for them, plus Yukari has to maintain the borders, so expect them to not rejoin us for quite some time. As well as that Zennosuke guy, he seems to have been cleansed and is now resting with the others." She sighed. "I didn't expect that man to be so strong, and the terrifying aspect is, he could have killed us all whenever he wanted. He was toying with us, you could see it in his eyes, he didn't see us to be a threat at all." She sat back and leaned against one of the support beams of the shrine. "If we're lucky, he'll stay away long enough to allow us to recover our full strength, but while we're sitting here, who knows what he could be doing to other places in Gensokyo. He's the most dangerous threat we've faced, and we shouldn't underestimate him."

"So what do we do until then?" Suika asked, wanting another shot at that guy, she wanted to punch him so bad.

"We wait; acting rashly would be stupid, especially against a threat so big. So we take what time we can to recover, before formulating a plan and heading out. You're all dismissed."

-Misty lake-

A man was sitting on the banks of the lake, his long green and black hair being picked up by the breeze. He wore a long gray robe that covered most of his features, but his aura was strong. His eyes were a dazzling blood red, and he seemed fairly athletic. "What year is it?" He asked himself in a soft tone as he looked up at the sky.

-Path to Youkai Mountain-

"Aya-Sama, shouldn't we stick around the Hakurei shrine? It'd be safer in numbers." Momiji said as she followed Aya.

"It'll be fine, I'm sure that guy won't be making his move so early, you saw him retreated like that, he's probably planning something."

"As much as I love myself a well put together plan, I'm afraid that's not the case, Aya-chan." A voice rang out from in front of them; standing on one of the trees with his arms crossed was none other than Avarvice. Dark energy seeped out from around him as he stared at them with his devilish eyes. "I really must thank you, divide and conquer is much easier when the enemy divides themselves." He smirked. "Let's have a royal party!" In a flash, he was standing in front of Aya, not like a teleport, not like high speed, but almost…instantaneous. He grabbed her face with his right hand before she could react. "You know, I was expecting more of a resistance from the people of this world, how disappointing." He casually said as he stopped Momiji's charge to assist by grabbing her neck with his left hand. He flew toward the ground with amazing speed then, dragging them along with him until he smashed the back of their heads into the ground at high speeds, creating a shock wave that could be felt almost a half mile away and leaving mini craters. "Lay there for awhile and despair." He said to their unconscious forms, still he must commend them for still breathing, truly non-humans indeed.

He went to stand up fully, but stopped. "Kidding, I'm not that merciful." He said in a cold voice as he slammed his fists into both their stomachs, deepening the crater even more. "I won't rest until there's nothing left of you." He said casually as dark energy blasts charged in both his hands as he grabbed their heads, aiming to fire his blasts at such a close range. However, before he could fire, he leaped into the sky immediately. "Whoa there!" As a invisible wave rippled under him, causing all the trees in the area to be cut down. Landing safely on the ground, he turned to face who had interrupted him.

" Dear me, such brutality. They're only girls you know, there's no need to be so cruel." A deep voice said from the shadows, the sound of a staff could be heard too, a monks staff. Emerging from the surrounding debris was a tall man with a dark robe on, a silver cross necklace swayed across his neck. He wore a black bamboo hat as he approached the area. "Yo." He said as he slowly lifted up the hat to reveal his face. "I don't think I got to pay you back yet." Standing there in the clearing was Zennosuke, and in his hand, a staff with a cross at the top. Beside him were Hirosame and Hatate. "What do you say we have some fun?" He said with a smirk.

"To recover so quickly, I've underestimated you old man. It matters not; three more of you won't make any difference. At least, the three of you standing there." He held out his hand a pure red staff formed, before two dark black scythe blades grew at the top. "You made a mistake coming here." He sighed. "Sadly, I don't have the time to play with you, so I'll let them do it instead." He snapped his fingers and both Aya and Momiji stood up, ignoring their injuries. However, their eyes now resembled Avarvices. "Take care of em' for me girls."

"Don't tell me, when you were preparing to kill them…" Zennosuke cut in, pretty sure of how Avarvice was going to answer.

"That's exactly right! I wasn't trying to kill them, I was taking control of them, and this kind of mind control won't break from some simple holy magic. So good luck!" With that and a wink, he vanished, leaving the three to do battle with their possessed friends.

"Well, this could very well be a problem." Zennosuke said as the two girls were closing in on them. "They're moving despite being unconscious, they shouldn't even be able to move, it's way past their bodies limits. We can't kill them, killing them is out of the question. We'll have to restrain them somehow."

"Leave them to me." Hatate said stepping forward. "They're my friends; I'll make sure they snap out of it."

"That kind of thinking won't get us anywhere." Hirosame cut in. "We must all work as a team; otherwise our effort will be for naught. Remember, the reason they most likely lost in the first place is because of all the energy they lost today, the same goes for you too, you were there, me as well. No one here is strong enough to stand up to Avarvice, save for perhaps those as the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and those who did not show up for the battle. " He focused on the two girls limping toward them. "I can't help but feel the pain they must subconsciously be going through."

"That settles it then, we've gotta break this mind control somehow. Let's put our heads together and think of a way." He held out his left hand and the area around them glowed. "I've placed a barrier that should protect us long enough to think of a strategy."

-Misty lake-

The same young man from before was still there, aimlessly staring at the lake. "Young lady, where am I?" He asked the green haired fairy that was standing beside him.

"You're at Misty Lake, this is Gensokyo." Daiyousei answered politely.

"Gensokyo? I don't recall such a place." He stood up and looked at everything around him. "The magic in this place is so…abundant." He began walking beside the lake, a soft wind hitting him in the face. "How many years has it been since that day?" He sighed and then smiled. "I guess it doesn't matter, all I can do is enjoy myself."

"Sir, I don't think you can do much enjoying now. Something bad happened recently. Oh, I'm Daiyousei!"

"Bad, what bad could happen here? It's so beautiful." He asked as he placed his hands in the sleeves of the opposite arm.

"I'm not entirely sure on the details, but if you want, head that way for awhile, and you'll come across a shrine, you'll be able to find out a lot more there." She said pointing to a road behind her.

"Ah, Thank you!" He said with a smile before walking down the path heading toward the shrine. "What a nice girl, she had wings didn't she? Musta been a fairy, kind folk they always are."

-Hakurei Shrine-

"Excuse me! Is anyone home?" He asked politely before even thinking about stepping forward.

"Yeah, people are here." A voice called out from the shrine. "Come on in."

He walked up the stairs and eventually made it to where Reimu was sitting on the porch of her house, sipping tea. "Hello there! You must be the shrine maiden; I've heard some bad things were happening, care to fill me in?" The black and green haired man asked with a chuckle. "Oh! Where are my manners?" He walked over to the donation box and deposited some money. "It is rude to come to a shrine and not pay tribute, is it not?"

"Thank you for your tribute, but it was not needed. So you want to know what's going on around here? I guess I can tell you, it won't harm anyone."

"That so? Very well, I'm interested in seeing what's going on."

At that moment there was a rustle as someone walked out of the room behind Reimu, it was Yuuka who still had bed hair, she was seemingly still half asleep. She turned to the stranger who was talking to Reimu, just to see who was so very important she had been woken up by all the commotion and her eyes widened. "How are you…Why…" She stuttered to get the words out.

Reimu turned back to look at her. "What's wrong? Do you know this person?"

Yuuka nodded slowly. "I know him all right, I know him better than most, and he should have been killed long ago." She took a step forward. "This man…is my father."


End file.
